Simple Tips to Handle Your Oily Skin

Oily skin can be a pain, but if you learn how to handle it, you’ll quickly find that it’s actually not as difficult as it seems. You’ll have to handle your skin slightly differently than someone with dry or normal-type skin, but that’s okay. 

Below, you’ll find 9 practical, esthetician-informed tips for controlling oily skin, from building the right skincare routine to keeping your makeup fresh through a full day at school or work.

What Causes Oily Skin

Oily skin happens when your sebaceous glands produce more sebum (natural oil) than your skin needs. Common causes include genetics, hormonal changes, humidity and heat, and skincare products that strip too much moisture, which can actually trigger your skin to overproduce oil to compensate. Diet, stress, and certain makeup formulas can play a role too.

Understanding your triggers is the first step to controlling shine.

Use Moisturizer, But Make Sure It’s Oil-Free

Many people think their oily skin problems are because their skin is overly moisturized, so they don’t use moisturizer in their daily life. That’s a mistake – some people actually have oily skin because they don’t moisturize enough. Without enough moisturizer, your skin often overproduces sebum to make up for it, leading to oily skin. Invest in a moisturizer specifically for oily skin, and it may surprise you how much your skin clears up. Look for lightweight, oil-free formulas labeled “non-comedogenic” with ingredients like hyaluronic acid or niacinamide, which hydrate without adding extra shine.

Choose a Gentle, Oil-Control Face Wash

The right cleanser can make or break your oily skin routine. Look for a gel or foaming face wash with salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide to help clear excess oil and unclog pores, paired with gentle, hydrating ingredients so your skin doesn’t overcompensate by producing even more oil. Avoid harsh bar soaps or anything that leaves your skin feeling tight or squeaky-clean as that’s usually a sign it stripped too much natural moisture.

Wash twice a day (morning and night) and after sweating, but resist the urge to over-wash. More isn’t always better when it comes to oil control.

Consider a Tinted Moisturizer Instead of Foundation

For some people with oily skin, foundation can feel heavy and caked-on. If you still want that flawless finish, but you can’t stand the heavy feeling of foundation, what can you do? Instead of foundation, you can opt for a tinted moisturizer. These moisturizers give you some coverage without making you feel like your skin is suffocating. Plus, the moisturizing effect lasts all day, making it extremely effective.

Always Use a Broad-Spectrum, Oil-Free Sunscreen

This is a general tip for all skin types; even fairly small amounts of UV exposure add up quickly, and it’s all very bad for your skin. But it’s especially important with oily skin because UV exposure may actually increase oil production, making your oily skin problems worse. Choose a light sunscreen for best results, and try to find one made for oily skin so it doesn’t feel heavy on your skin. Gel-based or “dry-touch” mineral sunscreens (zinc oxide or titanium dioxide) tend to work best for oily and acne-prone skin, since they sit lighter and won’t clog pores.

Use an Alcohol-Free Astringent or Toner (But Don’t Overdo It)

Astringent can help you keep the oiliness under control by drying out your pores somewhat. But the last thing you want is to over-dry your pores. If you do choose to use astringent, use it no more than every other day, and always put on moisturizer after you use it. That way, you’ll get rid of the oil, but restore hydration to your face. Look for alcohol-free formulas with witch hazel or salicylic acid as alcohol-based astringents tend to over-dry the skin and can trigger even more oil production over time.

Keep Oil-Control Paper Handy

Oil-control paper can be an absolute lifesaver when it comes to maintaining your makeup without having to deal with oily spots. Rather than blotting at your makeup with a cotton pad or toilet paper, which can just smudge your makeup, oil-control paper picks up only the oil, leaving the makeup behind. Keep a couple of squares in your purse at all times. If your skin starts to feel oily or heavy, just excuse yourself to the bathroom and blot any visible oil.

Add a Mattifying Finishing Powder to Your Routine

The ideal finishing powder is nearly translucent and has lots of oil-soaking power. If you get the right finishing powder, your skin won’t look ashy or pale; it’ll just look less oily. You can even re-apply finishing powder halfway through the day if you find your skin’s starting to get oily again. If your finishing powder has a tint to it, make sure you choose one that works for your skin tone to avoid an ashy or uneven finish. A pressed mattifying powder is easiest to carry in your bag for quick touch-ups between classes or clients. It’s a must for every makeup routine.

Choose Skincare and Makeup Products Formulated for Oily Skin

Your skin type can change throughout your life, which means your skin care products may also have to change. If you really love a specific product, but your skin type has changed to an oily one, you might have to move away from that product and toward another one. See whether the manufacturer advertises its products as being for oily skin; if it doesn’t, see whether the same manufacturer has products for oily skin. Those products might help even more. In general, look for labels like “oil-free,” “non-comedogenic,” or “matte” across your whole routine so no single step is undoing the others.

How to Control Oily Skin During a Long School or Work Day

Long days on your feet in a warm classroom or salon environment can make oily skin worse by midday. Start with a mattifying primer under your makeup, keep oil-control paper and a pressed powder in your kit for quick touch-ups between classes or appointments, and avoid touching your face throughout the day as it transfers oil and bacteria from your hands.

If you’re on your feet under bright studio or salon lighting, a lightweight, oil-free setting spray can also help your look stay fresh from your first client to your last.

Conclusion

Oily skin isn’t as difficult to handle as you might think at first. Sure, it requires different care than dry or normal-type skin, but every type of skin has specific requirements to make sure it’s as healthy as possible. If you have oily skin, follow these tips and tricks to keep that oil production under control.

If you want to learn more about the science behind skin types and help other people control their skin problems, you might want to look into the esthetics program at Ogle School. With Ogle School’s esthetics program, you can turn your curiosity into a career.